Devon’s Living Seas

Few realise quite how special Devon’s undersea life is.  With two coasts and sitting on a marine boundary between warm southern and cold northern waters, the County has a huge diversity of habitats and marine wildlife.  Nationally important or vulnerable species living here range from basking sharks and bottle-nosed dolphins to pink sea fans and sunset corals.

Glittering though this picture is, it’s a faded one.  History shows us that in the past our waters were home to more and bigger creatures than anything we see today.  But we don’t have to go very far back to find evidence of decline.  Even within living memory, Devon’s waters were home to greater numbers of fish, harbour porpoise and other wildlife.

Devon Wildlife Trust is working to restore Devon’s Living Seas and to bring back the abundance of wildlife and giant creatures which once lived in our waters.  To do this we need to

• build networks of protected areas which represent the whole range of seabed habitats as well as the most special places –  Marine Conservation Zones
  
• make sure that the rest of the marine world is managed sympathetically – Marine Act
  

DWT believes that we should judge recovery of Devon’s marine wildlife against historic richness, setting ourselves a vision to restore the teeming seas of yesteryear.  Anything less just will not do. Sign a fish scale and show your support for Marine Protected Areas Now!

Up close and personal

While only a few can experience Devon’s spectacular underwater landscapes first-hand, there are many places where air-breathing mammals such as ourselves can at least get a glimpse of the wonders of the marine life that is to be found around our coasts.  Rockpools show us the marine world in miniature.  Pockets of sea left accessible by the receding tide, they swarm with life, life that can be explored and enjoyed by all ages. 

Wembury Bay, near Plymouth, is one of the richest areas for rockpool life in the county, with over 100 species of seaweed alone.  Each summer hundreds of visitors are introduced to some of its very special inhabitants by DWT’s marine awareness officer, based at Wembury Marine Centre. The Centre is managed by a partnership with South Hams District Council, Devon County Council, Plymouth University - Marine Institute and National Trust . Why not pay us a visit and find out more?